Coming from Gears 3 I felt like this was a horrible reversal of all the things that made Gears great. So then I stopped seeing this as a Gears game and pretended it was a sequel to Dark Sector, and it suddenly was much more bearable. Too much COD corruption has ruined the pvp, however the Horde Mode 2.0 was the best yet. Tower defense meets beast mode, definitely the ONLY reason to playComing from Gears 3 I felt like this was a horrible reversal of all the things that made Gears great. So then I stopped seeing this as a Gears game and pretended it was a sequel to Dark Sector, and it suddenly was much more bearable. Too much COD corruption has ruined the pvp, however the Horde Mode 2.0 was the best yet. Tower defense meets beast mode, definitely the ONLY reason to play this game. Hope to see it return in Gears 4.…Expand

Gears of War: Judgment is a prime example of changing way too many aspects of the game to make it more appealing even if the original aspects were fine on their own. "Star" bonuses that you get if you play the game in a certain way during the campaign which get amplified if you accept 'declassified' objectives that tie in exactly to enemy encounters, the absolute castration of theGears of War: Judgment is a prime example of changing way too many aspects of the game to make it more appealing even if the original aspects were fine on their own. "Star" bonuses that you get if you play the game in a certain way during the campaign which get amplified if you accept 'declassified' objectives that tie in exactly to enemy encounters, the absolute castration of the hammerburst, the exploitation of using the boomshield with every weapon, 'customization crates', and many other different things that will taste sour in the mouths of many fans of this somewhat obscure title. Now this is essentially the Gears of War version of halo: reach, taking place before the events of Gears of War 1 despite all the weapons included in GoW 3 still available and then some, but unlike Halo: Reach where you actually get to experience what the big deal Halo:Reach Was, Judgment takes a sort of ODST route where your 'squad' get a faux testimony to answer for what they did just prior to being absolutely inconsequential to the rest of the GoW story. Lightmass Missile? Karn? Halvo Bay? Who cares? None of this amounts to the fate of Sera or the success of the Cogs in anyway but just a notable anecdote of Cole and Baird's adventures. Throughout the Campaign you will occasionally get some more info fluff about the two new characters, Paduk (essentially Russian Stereotype) and Sofia (the easy to look at one) that try to show personality but aren't able to explain much more of their backstory before another onslaught of more samey Locust appear. The only new enemy introduced are Ragers which are essentially Mini-Zerkers from GoW3, and as for weapons, as I said, a lot of weapons have been changed for better and for ill. You can shoot two shots with the Sawed Off now, the Hammerburst is now Sem-Auto with huge recoil and no Ironsights aiming from GoW3, and the Boomshield can now be used for any weapon which essentially makes it overpowered considering that you can only carry two weapons now, also making the d-pad useless other than for Tacc Comms. Again, all of these different elements that may had been good on paper but otherwise was not necessary. Also, the campaign battles are glaringly repetitive even for a Gears game considering how the enemy encounters are directly tied to the Declassified appearances rather than the declassified being a side note, but otherwise declassified adds a bit of flavor to the repetition but it is only there to make more people gain those stupid 'stars' that makes the game more arcadey than improved from earlier. As a matter of fact, the Aftermath storyline is the best part of Judgment as it takes place around GoW3 as Cole and Baird were trying to find 'reinforcements', and also doesn't include annoying star gains or declassified bonuses as per with the GOW3 lore (even though all the weapons are still as they are and you can still find the 4 new weapons introduced). As for new weapons, the Marzka and Breechshot are welcome additions to the rifles of GoW, as the Marzka is a more semi-automatic high clip rifle and the Breechshot is a much more powerful, lower clip locust variant of it. As for the Booshka, it's a Boomshot with weaker grenades and grenades with a fuse timer that usually is kind of weaksauce even up close. The Tripwire Crossbow is only used to hold positions and not for combat, which I may also add there is a lot of 'turret defense' segments of the campaign as well that I honestly don't care about. Multiplayer is also severely crippled with the effective horde being a barebones Survival mode, and overrun being the only gamemode to versus locust and cog together (for some reason). But to summarize, this was not really needed as a new title. A story that isn't so lame but is absolutely inconsequential to the main story of GoW, weapons that either got too overpowered or got sodomized, a whole new system that makes the game more 'gamey' rather than good, and just generally changes that weren't needed. That's my judgment of this.…Expand

This is one heck of a masterpiece,shut up and take my money developers!the campaign is good,story's good but damn that last boss fight tho,frustrating as heck.this deserves a score above average,I actually technically completed the game 10 times.i have. A problem with the absolute mess of swearing but it's not that bad anyway.if anybody likes COD buy this game,I think it's worth to buy itThis is one heck of a masterpiece,shut up and take my money developers!the campaign is good,story's good but damn that last boss fight tho,frustrating as heck.this deserves a score above average,I actually technically completed the game 10 times.i have. A problem with the absolute mess of swearing but it's not that bad anyway.if anybody likes COD buy this game,I think it's worth to buy it in full price.trust me it's worth it.this game deserves a solid 7/10!…Expand

Consider this a multiplayer review.
Gears Judgment is NOT in a way bad. It is kind of like a Gears 3 re-skin with no hoard (which is really fun in the Gears franchise) with much gore. The only thing people may dislike is the overuse of shotguns. I had a funny message war with someone about him being a noob with the Gnasher shotgun, but then that would make EVERYONE a noob, so I tried itConsider this a multiplayer review.
Gears Judgment is NOT in a way bad. It is kind of like a Gears 3 re-skin with no hoard (which is really fun in the Gears franchise) with much gore. The only thing people may dislike is the overuse of shotguns. I had a funny message war with someone about him being a noob with the Gnasher shotgun, but then that would make EVERYONE a noob, so I tried it and is actually a good shotgun. So shotgun haters such as myself, here is a message to you- BEWARE. I haven't played story yet so I can't say much about that. I would say get it cheap or get it while it is free for gold members on Xbox 360. I bumped it to 7 due to no hoard and the main use of the multiplayer modes such as Free for All is a shotgun fest plus you don't get as much weapons to start out with in a multiplayer match as you did in Gears 3.…Expand

I really liked the first 3 gears of war games, but this one seemed like a cheap cash grab. The mechanics and gameplay is similar to the others, so in that aspect it's okay, but it seems dull as far as the story, and the fact it's the whole game plays like a survivor mode rather than a story driven game the first three were. move from one area, kill a few waves, move to another kill a fewI really liked the first 3 gears of war games, but this one seemed like a cheap cash grab. The mechanics and gameplay is similar to the others, so in that aspect it's okay, but it seems dull as far as the story, and the fact it's the whole game plays like a survivor mode rather than a story driven game the first three were. move from one area, kill a few waves, move to another kill a few waves. A definite step back from the others.…Expand

Gears of War: Judgement is not a game to be dismissed as bad. In fact, it has the same level of polish and good gameplay of previous games. I also like some of the changes, such as the addition of the Declassified segments. The game, however, feels way to similar to prior games, which may upset many.

A failure of an extension to the GoW universe. They tried balancing out the weapons and mechanics but ultimately failed. A mixed stance on the balancing act is the Gnasher. It was nerfed to punish the community for relying too much on it. Instead of playing the game in the way it was originally intended to be, the community ruined the games itself. They kicked back the active reload sinceA failure of an extension to the GoW universe. They tried balancing out the weapons and mechanics but ultimately failed. A mixed stance on the balancing act is the Gnasher. It was nerfed to punish the community for relying too much on it. Instead of playing the game in the way it was originally intended to be, the community ruined the games itself. They kicked back the active reload since most people would drain their first clip in the beginning of the match so they could active reload for the buffs and weapon load-out is limited to two weapons along with grenades.
There are only 4 agreeable changes among the countless others. They shelved executions and the D.B.N.O system (which speed up matches and respawning but the game loses it's violent grandeur because of the exclusions.) Teamwork and tactics are virtually nonexistent.
Another tough subject is sensitivity. In most games, sensitivity increases the speed of button input recognition. That's not the case in GoW. Sensitivity directly impacts the speed your character moves at and performs actions with. The defaults make you an unwieldy tank but ratchet it up, and you're a blur of hulking muscle. With high sensitivity, you can quickscope like it's frickin' CoD. It 's an overpowered hidden mechanic that matches generally hinge on.
I could care less about the story since you have General Not-RAAM running around on a flying Corpser. The new (or should I say old? This is a prequel after all.) don't change the pace that much. Muliplayer is like watered-downed vodka. Sure, it's easier to swallow but you feel like you're missing something. Just rent it.…Expand

This game is a huge disappointment, but it's not a crime against humanity like most Gears of War fans seem to believe. It has it's highs and lows, and when it does something well, it's sure to amaze. On the other side of the spectrum, there are sadly a lot of bad things to this game as well, and these will surely be a major deterrent.

Let's start with the bad. The game does not have aThis game is a huge disappointment, but it's not a crime against humanity like most Gears of War fans seem to believe. It has it's highs and lows, and when it does something well, it's sure to amaze. On the other side of the spectrum, there are sadly a lot of bad things to this game as well, and these will surely be a major deterrent.

Let's start with the bad. The game does not have a traditional campaign mode like we Gears fans have come to expect/treasure, and it's also pitifully/mercifully short. The new characters are terrible and poorly fleshed out, and Baird and Cole share absolutely no banter. During firefights, you're squad does not shout anything or joke around like they used to. Also, the multiplayer is downright pitiful, a disgrace to the Gears of War franchise, with only 4 maps, and it's all human v. human. That being said, the new survival mode is a welcome addition, but this mode also replaces the much beloved Horde Mode, which was a major selling point in the series.

Now for the good. This game has stellar graphics, some of the best we've seen on the Xbox 360. Also, the A.I. is amazing and this game provides some of the best gameplay in the series. Also, the second campaign, Aftermath, is a fresh, fantastic, and welcome addition.

But that being said, this game is overall a mediocre experience, lacking the heart that drove the rest of the series forward into glory.…Expand

Gears of War: Judgement tells the story of Baird and his team, as they are tried for acts of treason against the COG. Judgement's campaign hardly tells a story worth paying any attention to. Instead the campaign throws different combat scenarios at you telling how Kilo squad made it through the fight. If you decide not the do these scenarios, then I would suggest not playing the campaignGears of War: Judgement tells the story of Baird and his team, as they are tried for acts of treason against the COG. Judgement's campaign hardly tells a story worth paying any attention to. Instead the campaign throws different combat scenarios at you telling how Kilo squad made it through the fight. If you decide not the do these scenarios, then I would suggest not playing the campaign because they are the soul reason it is worth playing. The game play has been improved, it is smoother and faster. Team deathmatch and other modes returns to judgement and all are fine. But the new modes free-for-all and overrun modes are definitely good additions. After you complete the campaign a new mode unlocks called Aftermath which is from Gears of War 3. You play as Baird, and it feels more like Gears of War 3 with all of the refinements of Judgement. Gears of War: Judgement feels like it was rushed out so there was one more Gears game out this generation. It has a lot of good things from the series but the things it tries to do new, fall short.…Expand

I am a big fan of the Gears games. I enjoyed all of them, until now. There is no emotion in this game, it's just a series of short battles. It seems like a cheap arcade version of GOW 2. This game is crap compared to GOW 2 and 3. Graphics have not improved, almost seem like they took less time with some enemy artwork. Sound is the same. It gets a 5 because it's still a good game andI am a big fan of the Gears games. I enjoyed all of them, until now. There is no emotion in this game, it's just a series of short battles. It seems like a cheap arcade version of GOW 2. This game is crap compared to GOW 2 and 3. Graphics have not improved, almost seem like they took less time with some enemy artwork. Sound is the same. It gets a 5 because it's still a good game and better than a lot of crap out there. You can't get worse with sequels, you have to improve, and this is a big letdown to long time fans.…Expand

I loved GoW 1, thought GoW 2 was ok and I did not like GoW 3 at all. I actually thought this game was pretty fun. There was nothing new but the game looked really polished and the story was pretty decent. The game is really short 6-8hrs. So I would not recommend buying but this game is a solid rent that could be beaten over a weekend.

this is easily the most disappointing i have been in a game this year. everything that was great about gears of war 3 which was most things were missing in judgement. lets start the campaign the game had the potential to expand the characters of baird and cole and also explore the initial stages of the locust attack and the brutality that came with it. The story falls short in every waythis is easily the most disappointing i have been in a game this year. everything that was great about gears of war 3 which was most things were missing in judgement. lets start the campaign the game had the potential to expand the characters of baird and cole and also explore the initial stages of the locust attack and the brutality that came with it. The story falls short in every way and often feels forced. it is really short as there is really nothing going on through the whole story. the addition of the challenges are interesting but not capitalized upon and there is nothing really interesting ever going on with the campaign. it is the only gears of war campaign i have not played twice. don't get me started on the ending as well. possibly the worst villain in videogames never any emotion and im not even sure that there is a line of dialogue from this forgettable character.

as for the multiplayer overrun is fantastic and easily the best mode available in this game. it is deep and satisfying with lots of options and interesting maps and specialties available from each class of character.

regular multiplayer on the other hand is a joke 4 maps. really. after about an hour you have already played every map and also the fact that many of the mechanics that made gears multiplayer so unique have been removed.

and the final nail in the coffin for this game was the removal of horde mode. i feel like this game took a lot of risks yet many of them were not justified and it seems as if this series may now struggle to redeem itself. i still love the how the shooting feels in the campaign and the cover to cover system as been tweaked for the better. The game looks stunning and many of the environments are great to look at but that doesn't make a great game.…Expand

When you take a franchise like Gears and you make a worse game than your original (Bulletstorm), then you know it's bound to receive worse ratings than it would.

Gears: Judgment is pretty similar to the other GoW, God of War: Ascension. Both prequels, both with kind of a spin-off story, holding up to their predecessors technically and not doing a damn thing to improve that aspect andWhen you take a franchise like Gears and you make a worse game than your original (Bulletstorm), then you know it's bound to receive worse ratings than it would.

Gears: Judgment is pretty similar to the other GoW, God of War: Ascension. Both prequels, both with kind of a spin-off story, holding up to their predecessors technically and not doing a damn thing to improve that aspect and both as enjoyable as the franchise standard offer. Besides that a couple of cool ideas/weapons/enemies and that's it.

Prequel loss for ideas
Nonetheless, the story and storytelling to be exact isnt that bad. The idea of the aftermath might have been for a dlc, but all in all it's not bad at all. What's bad is that the campaign has become a non-explorative level/battle to level/battle. And all of this arcade style. I wouldn't mind if they did that on another mode, trying to simplify the levels to match an arcade feeling, but the campaign is hollow now. It's worse than the excellent Gears 3, but stil a quite enjoyable shooter (that lasts only half of the other Gears games durations).

Play Gears 3 again or some other excellent shooter unless you are a hardcore-wannadieforGears fan. Even then, Marcus isn't home...…Collapse

If you're a fan of Gears of War at all, you will notice a big difference from Judgement to its other very successful predecessors. I did not find the story any where close to engrossing as Gears of War 3 was, the story was comprised of fighting endless waves of enemies and a lot of door kicking. Anyways, lets just say I did not like the story at all. It added a couple new elements such asIf you're a fan of Gears of War at all, you will notice a big difference from Judgement to its other very successful predecessors. I did not find the story any where close to engrossing as Gears of War 3 was, the story was comprised of fighting endless waves of enemies and a lot of door kicking. Anyways, lets just say I did not like the story at all. It added a couple new elements such as mini challenges and a tower defense aspect. Lets move on to the multiplayer, what made Gears of War 3 shine. Once again Judgement does not even meet up to the Gears of War standard we have all set, very few maps and modes. And the only way to get all the new maps of course is to buy a season pass, which I would not recommend. To sum it up, if you're a fan of Gears of War at all and are looking for a new Gears to play don't get this. If you're new to the Gears world and want to shoot stuff and kick doors in, this game is for you, otherwise steer away from this mediocre game.…Expand

“Boooom!” shouts the oversized Locust trooper as he fires off another round at COG lieutenant, Damon Baird and the members of Kilo Squad. This is an all-to-familiar site for anyone who has played any of the Gears of War games. Your team is bunkered down in cover, quickly popping-up to fire off a few rounds into a ticker or wretch. There are enemies everywhere, you keep bouncing from one“Boooom!” shouts the oversized Locust trooper as he fires off another round at COG lieutenant, Damon Baird and the members of Kilo Squad. This is an all-to-familiar site for anyone who has played any of the Gears of War games. Your team is bunkered down in cover, quickly popping-up to fire off a few rounds into a ticker or wretch. There are enemies everywhere, you keep bouncing from one spot to another, and the intensity is at 11! It’s Gears, but is not Gears all at the same time. You know how to play and what the story is all about, but some things have changed, have they changed for the better?
Enter Gears of War: Judgment, the fourth title in the Gears series and a prequel to the original Gears. This time Epic Studios have put developer People Can Fly at the reigns of their beloved franchise. In an effort to appeal to the modern shooter fan they’ve made some minor control changes and some major design changes to the multi-player. The question is, does it make for a better Gears game or will long-time fans not be happy with some of the choices that have been made?

I'm not going to stand here and say this game sucks, because it doesn't. It just lacks... Something. The campaign is pretty fun, just extremely repetitive. Visually outstanding and the sound design is as good as ever. The combat is great, but it needs pacing and brakes. Sure moving through hordes of enemys is fun, it just gets a bit much when you're doing it in the campaign for 8 hours+I'm not going to stand here and say this game sucks, because it doesn't. It just lacks... Something. The campaign is pretty fun, just extremely repetitive. Visually outstanding and the sound design is as good as ever. The combat is great, but it needs pacing and brakes. Sure moving through hordes of enemys is fun, it just gets a bit much when you're doing it in the campaign for 8 hours+ with no brakes. Check point placement could of been better as well. Button lay out is still the best for any xbox shooter game, imo. The new classified missions are a really nice edition and co-op play is where the most fun is to have. Multiplayer feels pretty good, they've added some stuff which makes it feel fresh, although still nothing to keep me interested for too long. I tried my best to play it with an open mind, and it interested me for a while... But all in all, it's just a pretty average game with lots of co-op and long lasting game play.…Expand

Definitely the worst entry in the series, but it's still a fun experience when played with others. The story and dialogue are laughably bad and the set pieces aren't very interesting. The graphics are also more cartoonish. I like the variety of different modes you can play, but they didn't stop me from trading it back in fairly quickly once I was done.

Gears of war: Judgment is a likely solid game, but it just fails in every way his predecessors succeeded. As someone who was been playing this saga since the Original GOW, I would say this game is for "fans only".

IN MY OPINION, Gears of War Judgment is the worst game in the series. WHY? overall the game is a shallow experience, missions are repetiiive, each testimony has 6 sections and every single section feels the same. At the end of every Testimony you have to defeat 2-3 waves of enemies which makes it repetitive and boring. As for the story, well there is not really much to say but on theIN MY OPINION, Gears of War Judgment is the worst game in the series. WHY? overall the game is a shallow experience, missions are repetiiive, each testimony has 6 sections and every single section feels the same. At the end of every Testimony you have to defeat 2-3 waves of enemies which makes it repetitive and boring. As for the story, well there is not really much to say but on the other hand Aftermath is a really fun addition to the game i really enjoyed it. Although the game does some things right, gameplay is solid like in every Gears of War. Last thing that Gear of War does right is the multiplayer, probably the most enjoyable multiplayer i have ever played. If you want to buy Gears of War: Judgement, you should definitely give it a try because it's really deep and fun if you are playing with you buddies. Overall, Gears of War: Judgement is a fun game with a boring story, deep multiplayer and solid gameplay. I would recommend it only for hardcore Gears of War fans.…Expand

Gear Of War Judgment is a prequel to the Gears Of War Trilogy. It explains the back story to the two main support characters from the main series. It is your typical Gears of War game and the mechanics are very much the same as what you experience in the other games. There are some nice new weapons to play with along with some new enemies (some of which I would have liked to have been inGear Of War Judgment is a prequel to the Gears Of War Trilogy. It explains the back story to the two main support characters from the main series. It is your typical Gears of War game and the mechanics are very much the same as what you experience in the other games. There are some nice new weapons to play with along with some new enemies (some of which I would have liked to have been in the other games). The main new feature that really made the game a joy to play were the Declassified missions. Basically when you play the game there are additional challenges you can activate to make the game more challenging. These vary from using certain weapons, harder enemies and reduced visibility but they do add another level to the game. The main campaign is a little short and does not really have any massive Stand Out moments but its solid enough with a decent enough plot.
I liked the addition of the Aftermath mode which opens up a story that fills in the blanks from Gears of War 3.
This game is nothing new and so will not bring any new players into the Franchise but will be a welcome addition to the original games. For this reason I cannot give it a truely high score even though it does not do anything bad. The game mechanics are all solid and the AI is decent enough. I did not understand why in Aftermath they seem to have removed the Declassified options as I did honestly miss them once I had played the main campaign through.
I have not spent much time on the Multiplayer modes and so cannot really review with any depth but the modes are mainly ports from the other games.…Expand

This game is very strange, being a prequel you already know the outcome, your guys survive and move on. I am not a fan of prequels because they don't add much to the storyline of the franchise. The layout is odd, giving you stars for completing sections of each single player level. The storyline is broken up way too much causing problems with fluidity. Play for 5 minites stop play for 5This game is very strange, being a prequel you already know the outcome, your guys survive and move on. I am not a fan of prequels because they don't add much to the storyline of the franchise. The layout is odd, giving you stars for completing sections of each single player level. The storyline is broken up way too much causing problems with fluidity. Play for 5 minites stop play for 5 more. I do appreciate them keeping a boss battle at the end of the game, too many games dump these out now, they are fun. Overall it doesn't do much for the franchise, the story relies on minor characters from the first 3 to take the lead, they don't succeed. There is also an extra level that adds storyline to gears 3 that should have been released as a gears 3 dlc and not something added into a totally different game.…Expand

This game I rated a 7 Reason being is because it has a great story and all and the amount of level concepts are nice But it doesn't really bring nothing new to the table like halo 4 has and blacktops 2 but all and all the story is great but you might grow bored of the online play But its a great game and if you like previous games you well enjoy this

Starting off, ive been playing gears of war since the first and even though i wasn't good at it i still played it because i was that into the game style. No epic has really out done themselves. This game has been ruined and really was just made so they can earn money. They've taken way to many things out that should have stayed and ruined this game. I would just stick to playing GoW 3.Starting off, ive been playing gears of war since the first and even though i wasn't good at it i still played it because i was that into the game style. No epic has really out done themselves. This game has been ruined and really was just made so they can earn money. They've taken way to many things out that should have stayed and ruined this game. I would just stick to playing GoW 3. Dont waste your money or time,…Expand

CAMPAIGN I GIVE AN 8. If AND ONLY IF THEY BRING BACK CAPTURE THE LEADER WILL I PLAY MULTIPLAYER. I WISH THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN AWAY GRENADE TAG AND DNBO, MAJOR LOSS OF POINTS FOR THAT, OTHERWISE IT WOLD HAD GOTTEN AN OVERALL 9.5 FROM ME. ME AND MY FRIENDS FOR NOW ARE STICKING TO GEARS 3. UNLESS CAPTURE THE LEADER OR GAURDIAN SHOWS UP, I'VE WASTED $82. MY OVERALL RATING FOR NOW 6.0

Ever since the first game came out i have been in love with the gears franchise, it was an eye opener for many and there have been countless others to duplicate it (ex. Special forces team X). They had a good thing going, their sequels weren't going to great, but finally they aced it. EXCEPT FOR THE GOD DANG LOCKED ON THE DISK DLC, you payed for the game and you expect everything to be onEver since the first game came out i have been in love with the gears franchise, it was an eye opener for many and there have been countless others to duplicate it (ex. Special forces team X). They had a good thing going, their sequels weren't going to great, but finally they aced it. EXCEPT FOR THE GOD DANG LOCKED ON THE DISK DLC, you payed for the game and you expect everything to be on the disk, sure you obviously gonna have to unlock things, but the fact that you have the game but then have to buy the locked skins and armor crap AGAIN just makes me mad beyond repair. It's almost just like what Capcom screwed up on with their games, (horrible dlc) but enough about that, cuz the VIP pass is sort of worth it, anyway gameplay is the same as it will ever be, they changed around some the controls, and teh story is a little bland, but it was fine, i liked the declasiy missions, and there was alot of things to find, it feels alot like an arcade multiplayer style game, it doesn't focus on anything too seriously. Multiplayer isn't as great as it was, almost no great maps, almost no great characters, and almost no great gamemodes that stand out from your normal gears games, there is a great additon to Overun mode, but i like horde better personally, all in all, it was more disapointing that i though it would be, still though if your a fan go right ahead and buy it, for sale, not worth 60 bucks, and im still ticked off about that stupid dlc, i mean who doesn't want fluffy rainbow on a bloody chainsaw lancer.…Expand

As a long time fan of the series I must say that this is like Halo/Cod. They took away DBNO (Down but not out) they took away the option to have 2 primary weapons at the same time. The campaign was ok, but nothing really special happened, and the characters were crap. Plays almost like the other games in the gears series but feels more "arcadey" The story was lacking even more so than theAs a long time fan of the series I must say that this is like Halo/Cod. They took away DBNO (Down but not out) they took away the option to have 2 primary weapons at the same time. The campaign was ok, but nothing really special happened, and the characters were crap. Plays almost like the other games in the gears series but feels more "arcadey" The story was lacking even more so than the other games. The multiplayer is just god awful, they took everything good from the other games and scrapped it. There isn't anything I like about the multiplayer at all. The game got boring quick and even though the campaign was OK it doesn't save the game in itself. As painful for it is for me to say I just think this game sucks and should of finished with Gears 3. So if you are in to the overratednes of Call of Duty games, then by all means go and buy this, but if you hate Call of Duty then I wouldn't recommend this to you as this is just a third person version of that. If you do not know this already, you might want to know that the multiplayer is no longer Cog vs Locust, it is now just like halo in that aspect with it's Cog vs Cog (red vs blue) kind of feels like a step down in my opinion. R.I.P Gears of War…Expand

I loved all the previous Gears games, but this last installment is a serious letdown. It kinda feels like you're playing Gears of war Arcade game; the levels are short, everything is about how good score you're gonna get etc. And no boss fights, except for the ultra lame final boss. I was really disappointed with this game.

I can summarize my review with a passage from my play. "Baird, over here Bair- no over here, not there, here. Yes finally, now, wait Baird, c'mon get me up!... And now I'm dead. Thanks Baird". In short, unbelievably useless AI. In addition to more DLC skins at launch than included ones, nine characters to play as (including two re-skinned characters), FOUR multiplayer maps, and COG vs. COGI can summarize my review with a passage from my play. "Baird, over here Bair- no over here, not there, here. Yes finally, now, wait Baird, c'mon get me up!... And now I'm dead. Thanks Baird". In short, unbelievably useless AI. In addition to more DLC skins at launch than included ones, nine characters to play as (including two re-skinned characters), FOUR multiplayer maps, and COG vs. COG multiplayer, this game warrants a 5/10 in my opinion.…Expand

Loving the first three games, I had to get this and so glad that Epic Games did not end Gears. So is Gears of War: Judgment shine with the other Gears games? Sadly no! I'm sorry if you love Gears but this game is a dissapointment. Lets start with the campaign. The Judgement campaign is based on year 1 of the war with locasts. Cole and Biard are with us and with two new characters witch areLoving the first three games, I had to get this and so glad that Epic Games did not end Gears. So is Gears of War: Judgment shine with the other Gears games? Sadly no! I'm sorry if you love Gears but this game is a dissapointment. Lets start with the campaign. The Judgement campaign is based on year 1 of the war with locasts. Cole and Biard are with us and with two new characters witch are quite interresting. Really good story, like always with Gears. What ruins it is how every section is you trying to get stars witch just feels like a arcade game or a chalenge mode, witch a chalenge would be a great idea. I see they were trying a new way of gameplay, but it just ruined it for me. After you complete Judgement you unlock another campaign called Aftermath witch is more like a dlc. Its based in the middle of the events in Gears of War 3. Also with Cole, Biard and even Carmine. You meet up with one of the new charactors from the Judgement campaign. It keeps to the original style of gameplay witch I like. Sadly both campaigns are way too short and loved the campaigns in the other games, but not in this ,I don't like Judgement campaign and aftermath was decent... just dissapointing... Lets move on with multiplayer. Multiplayer is more balanced then ever, bit the same but still alot of fun. But what gets my attention survival and overun. Survival is defending objectives from relentless locasts, not a horde 3.0 but quite interresting changes. Overrun witch is players play as locasts witch try and destroy objective, while the COG players try and defend, easily best multiplayer game mode. Overall this game took too many steps back or not trying to push on foward. Just feels too much like other games. Gears of War: Judgement 6.5/10.…Expand

-Campaign review-
The rest of the review is for the multiplayer but I gave the campaign a try and here's my review.
So far iv really been enjoying the campaign. I hated gears 3 story, didn't find it interesting at all but something is different in this one.
For some reason almost everything missing from multiplayer is in the single player.
You can tag walls with grenades, execute-Campaign review-
The rest of the review is for the multiplayer but I gave the campaign a try and here's my review.
So far iv really been enjoying the campaign. I hated gears 3 story, didn't find it interesting at all but something is different in this one.
For some reason almost everything missing from multiplayer is in the single player.
You can tag walls with grenades, execute locust, damage boost from drive reload which is all great and I hope they add this stuff back online.
So far iv played a few missions and for the most part iv liked them, but they are very very repedative. It seems they have added a horde type segment to each mission where you have to hold off the locust for a few waves which brings back good memories.
I also very much like these declassified missions which are a extra challenge to each extra xp, for example can only use pistoles, or the map is filled with smoke and you can't see well.
Another thing I like is the voice acting. It reminds me of max Payne 3 for some reason. How your playing and you character is taking in the background. The whole story is kind of weird and cool. Your playing memories and telling the leader of the cog what you did during your mission Ina court since your team disobeyed orders or something. It's new, and and I like how different missions you play as different characters which give a cool insight to your squad.
Overall it's really good and I like it a lot. Took me 6-8 hours to beat(can't really remember exact time)

-Aftermath review-
Anyone who doesn't know aftermath is an additional mission that takes place during gears of war 3. Sounds great, but it doesn't feel like gears 3. New weapons and enemies that are in judgment campaign are in aftermath which is really stupid. But you will see some old locust though. Well after math isn't long, took me about an hour to beat,

-Multiplayer review-
I have been really excited for this game for a while. I loved gears 2 and 3 but this game isn't the same at all.
I guess epic thought since it was a prequel you can take out basically everything that gears is and restart. Well that doesn't work
First I will list what they took out or changed from gears 3.

-active reloads no longer give your bullets more damage if you hit it at the right time-
this was a great thing in the gears franchise. I loved active reload. It was unlike anything in any other games so why take it out?

-no more rifle-shotgun duo-
maybe this is for the better but I don't know. I did like having a shotgun and a rifle in the same set up. When your far away use a rifle, when your up close whip out the shotty but it was overpowered. I won't ever use a shotty anymore

-limited character selection-
You start off with 4 characters to use online, and can only unlock 5 others! So only 9 fricken characters to choose from?

-no more mandatory winding up grenades-
Why the heck would you take this out?

-spawn with frag grenades-
This isn't call of duty! You shouldn't spawn with frags!

-maps are so congested and small now-
I loved the style of gears 3 maps but these maps are not good. Way too many narrow hallways and alleys.
Also there's a map where you fly around the map in a fricken helicopter shooting a mini gun. Who thought this was a good idea?

-no more reviving team mates-
Yup, you no longer fall to the ground and bleed out or get revived. You die automatically.

-only three fricken game modes and four maps!
Team deathmatch, domination and deathmatch and 4 multiplayer maps! That's it! What the heck!

-no more sticking grenades to walls-
Why take this out? I used to get tons of kills with doing this.

-Environment weapons are overpowered-
Can use rifles and shotguns while hiding behind boom shields? Please tell me how that's fair?

-no more locust vs humans-
Why? Just why? I don't want to kill humans. The whole gears of war franchise is based on gears vs locust!!
-it's nothing new-
Besides a few new guns, there's really nothing new at all. Heck even the fricken menu layout is exactly the same, the awards and ribbon system is exactly the same as well.
To me it feels like epic doesn't care what gears fans like or wanted. It really feels like they wanted to please call of duty fans, and make it more like cod. It's sad to say but it's true.
Graphics-8/10
Some people say it looks a ton better than gears3 but it really doesn't.
Gameplay-7.5
They changed gears so much that it doesn't play like gears any more,
Sound-7.5/10
Everything sounds exactly the same as gears 3.
Multiplayer-6/19
Limited modes and reduced functions make online a lot less fun and competitive like older gears were.
Campaign-8/10
Maybe the saving grace of the game. I really loved it and thought it was special.
Overall-6
Its just not true to its roots. It's just plain boring and it already feels old since there's only 4 maps online, and all the features we have come to love are all missing…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Its time to be judged. Gears has always been famous for its non-stop, balls out action approach to gaming like many others, however gears is different, especially in judgement. Judgement introduces new features such as the easy weapon swap and grenade throw and removes others such as the three weapon slots. The game feels great to play, fluid and the way gears should be but its been done wrong. These game play features that have been introduced revolutionise the gears game play however they have not been used to their full extent and so instead feel like a little extra as opposed to a "big deal". The campaign is the weakest part of judgement. Straight out there it is the worst in the series. The characters are all well presented however the dynamic is just not there like the others. All of the characters in the original had a back story and felt real, believable and likeable. These don't. Baird is just Lieutenant Baird and Cole is just the stereotypical character we love but less funny than before. In fact, considering the game consists of the two funniest characters in the series, you would expect there to be humour. There is the odd joke that might make you smirk, but other than that it just feels bland and un-natural for the characters to behave like. The boss is almost non-existent in the game as well, he has a couple of scenes and then you don't even get to fight him. Killing him is just a cut scene instead of a bullets flying everywhere gore fest like it should be for a classic climactic gears game. The game also introduces a completely unnecessary scoring feature that interrupts the game abruptly every ten or fifteen minutes, completely ruining the drama and the story of judgement. The one thing that, in my opinion, saves judgement is Aftermath and this only lasts about 2 hours. This returns to the classic gears of war remedy however with less drama and a happy, disappointing ending. On the other hand, Judgement incorporates the same multiplayer like before except with the new fluid game play features making it feel more action packed than before and engaging. Its worth getting if you love the gears multiplayer because it is great, but if like me, you love the story then don't hold your breath, you'll die. In conclusion, judgement was a nice idea it was just done wrong. The developers attempted to try something new which is fair enough, however it seems like they attempted to fix something which was not broken and instead have just made a mess. This is fixable, all they need to do is return to before, maybe introduce some new characters like Barrick to keep it fresh but don't change THE STORY FORMULA! Positives:
+Good multiplayer, fun and fluid
+Good game play adjustments
+Fun customization
+Aftermath is fun

As somebody who is a very casual Gears of War fan, I thought i'd go out of my way and give this game a try, given how much I like Gears of War 3 and its predecessors. The game really doesn't do much to change things up, same gameplay and multiplayer. What did change however, is the story and survival modes. What I like about the campaign is that it's told in many different people'sAs somebody who is a very casual Gears of War fan, I thought i'd go out of my way and give this game a try, given how much I like Gears of War 3 and its predecessors. The game really doesn't do much to change things up, same gameplay and multiplayer. What did change however, is the story and survival modes. What I like about the campaign is that it's told in many different people's perspective, which is very interesting. However I don't like the changes made in survival modes. First off, they took out Horde mode. What...? This game mode has risen to huge fame since Gears of War 2 and was turned into a masterpiece in Gears of War 3, and now you take it out. Well in fact they put in a new game mode, which I can't remember the name of, but you're basically defending this cheaply made base that is easy to destroy and hard to defend, a huge letdown if you ask me. They kept the beast mode game type (Now called Overrun) which I still have mixed feelings about, due to the fact that I wasn't a big fan in the first place. In short, if you like the Gears of War series, get this game, if you're casual like me, don't.…Expand

A solid entry in the series, however it's pretty obvious that Epic Games decided to roll the dice on this one and try some things new with People Can Fly studio. Everything about Gears Judgement feels different from your rule of thumb Gears of War title. Gone are the days of directional pad gun swapping....as a matter of fact, you only get to swap between 2 now using the Y button. GrenadesA solid entry in the series, however it's pretty obvious that Epic Games decided to roll the dice on this one and try some things new with People Can Fly studio. Everything about Gears Judgement feels different from your rule of thumb Gears of War title. Gone are the days of directional pad gun swapping....as a matter of fact, you only get to swap between 2 now using the Y button. Grenades operate a little differently as well, as they are now tossed with the LB button. The enemies are familiar, as are the main characters.....minus their personal flair. While Baird still has his occasional one liners, fan favorite Cole Train is as dry bone as ever. Very rarely does Cole have any witty remarks or funny classical 'Cole' moments. All the charm and charisma that made these characters so attractive in the first place just.....aren't there. I simply don't understand why Epic Games would even think about tampering with a formula that was already perfect to begin with. I feel like this title was really half hearted, and I hope that if this franchise continues towards the next generation of gaming that it corrects it's errors and brings back all of the elements that make Gears of War so great in the first place.…Expand

They took way too much from Gears in judgment. The campaign and overrun were the only two modes actually Gears related. Divio, I couldn't agree more. Aside from the two aforementioned modes, judgment just feels like call of duty. To be perfectly honest most of judgment either could have or should have been DLC for Gears 3. There was no real character depth from the campaign either. In theThey took way too much from Gears in judgment. The campaign and overrun were the only two modes actually Gears related. Divio, I couldn't agree more. Aside from the two aforementioned modes, judgment just feels like call of duty. To be perfectly honest most of judgment either could have or should have been DLC for Gears 3. There was no real character depth from the campaign either. In the first 3 Gears you actually get to know Marcus and Dom. From Marcus being sprung from prison and why he was there to begin with, to Dom's wife and kids and up to the emotional peaks of Dom's and Adam Fenix's deaths. In judgment howerever, anyone who hadn't played the original trilogy wouldn't anything about Baird or Cole. Cole would just be some guy that goes "WOOO" a lot. Other than that, most of the other negative review say it better than I could. I deffinately would not recomend this game to any real gears fan.…Expand

As many other veteran Gears fans have already stated, this latest addition is underwhelming. However it doesn't mean its a bad game outright, though I believe it has no place in the Gears universe. The single/co-op/four player ironically is the best after Gears 1, I do like how People can fly have changed it for the better. The problems though are with the multiplayer, which to many is theAs many other veteran Gears fans have already stated, this latest addition is underwhelming. However it doesn't mean its a bad game outright, though I believe it has no place in the Gears universe. The single/co-op/four player ironically is the best after Gears 1, I do like how People can fly have changed it for the better. The problems though are with the multiplayer, which to many is the reason why we brought it. First the day one micro transactions............ absolutely scandalous! Then the maps, discounting the vastly over-rated over-run there are four maps that I counted where the same map gets replayed over and over until it changes. Then no downs, as the boss guards in MGSPW would say 'WHAT?'! That alone makes certain maps and weapons so unbalanced it's stupid. Then free for all, initially a good premise but with experienced players camping at power weapons spots again there is little balance. Lastly the weapons, I like the Beecher a lot but the old lancer and marzker are way too over powered, plus hit detection is very erratic. All these problems new players won't know or care about, but a vet will be disgusted and frankly I feel I have wasted cash on this. BUT the old Gears of War download was a great touch, but I don't think it has aged very well with several glitches, laggy connections and cheating NOT removed ie crab walking or being invisible in brushes etc. Overall an average game but a extremely poor Gears!…Expand

GOW: Judgment feels like an expansion, which is essentially what it is. It has a full campaign and MP, but it doesn't feel as "full" as the bigger GOW titles. I am saying this is essentially a bad a thing, just an observation. From a multiplayer aspect (which is what the majority of the playerbase buys the title for) I actually enjoy the MP modes in Judgment more than than the previousGOW: Judgment feels like an expansion, which is essentially what it is. It has a full campaign and MP, but it doesn't feel as "full" as the bigger GOW titles. I am saying this is essentially a bad a thing, just an observation. From a multiplayer aspect (which is what the majority of the playerbase buys the title for) I actually enjoy the MP modes in Judgment more than than the previous titles. For a brief background on my history, I used to play competitively in leagues and tournaments on PC. My games of choice were Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. I vastly prefer the class-based, team objective gameplay to that of more "traditional" gamemodes, like TDM and CTF. This is why I enjoy Judgment's MP.

The 2 main modes for team play are Overrun and Survival. Survival is kind of like horde mode, but with significant changes:

1 There are only 10 waves
2 There is an objective. It isn't just "fend off the locust." The locusts are trying to destroy E-hole covers, and you have to stop them.
3 each time the Locusts destroy a cover, the COG's must fall back to a new position. You get 3 tries before game over 2 E-hole positions and then a generator that must be protected.
4 The mode is class based. You no longer purchase items with points they are provided by classes. 5 Your class determines your weapon loadout and ability. medics can heal/revive, Soldiers can supply ammo, Scouts can spot enemy and debuff, and Engineers can repair fortifications and plant sentry guns.

Overrun is the same as survival, except each side (locust and COG's) are comprised of real players. Each team has a chance to attack and defend.

The game does still offer TDM and Domination, but no hard focus on the "kill the enemy" modes, like the removal of Wingman and "down but not out." I'm sure for many this comes as a disappointment, but for players like myself who like a more or a team element and "substance" to their MP, the new gamemodes are enjoyable.…Expand

Mmmmm. What happened here. The Gears trilogy was a fantastic experience. Meaty shooting and an excellent cover system. Something is just not right with this new Gears and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the way the story is told. Each chapter is broken into 'mini' chapters which really break up the narrative. It turns into simply shoot for a few moments and then walk to theMmmmm. What happened here. The Gears trilogy was a fantastic experience. Meaty shooting and an excellent cover system. Something is just not right with this new Gears and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe the way the story is told. Each chapter is broken into 'mini' chapters which really break up the narrative. It turns into simply shoot for a few moments and then walk to the checkpoint and get your score. I'm really not liking this game at the moment. I'll finish it, but I'm not getting a Gears experience like it did with the previous games.…Expand

When "Gears of War: Judgment" does what the previous games does, it does it worse. And when it does something new, it feels out of place. If feels like an in and out Gears game for most of the time, but everything feels like it's one big Gears of War 3 DLC. Nothing fresh, nothing for the better, nothing interresting.

This game stands on the shoulders of GOW 3. I personally think GOW 3 was a wonderful game and EPIC did a good job in that game. I wasn't a fan of the new weapons in GOW 3 but I loved the game overall. GOW 3 vs GOWJ: Campaign: The campaign has slightly improved in terms of game play. The declassified missions are fun and the enemy bots act slightly more smart. Versus: This is the trulyThis game stands on the shoulders of GOW 3. I personally think GOW 3 was a wonderful game and EPIC did a good job in that game. I wasn't a fan of the new weapons in GOW 3 but I loved the game overall. GOW 3 vs GOWJ: Campaign: The campaign has slightly improved in terms of game play. The declassified missions are fun and the enemy bots act slightly more smart. Versus: This is the truly disappointing part of the game IMO. First of all, no execution. The game is super fast-paced when compared with GOW 3. The FFA and domination are a chaos. Overrun is nice, but does not meet up with my expectations from the trailer. I find GOW 3 horde mode more elaborate in terms of upgrades and devices you could use. My main issue with versus, however, is the weapons. You get one main starting weapon: semi-auto sniper, lancer, or shotgun. SOS is back, stinkier than ever. More bullets and longe range. In GOW 3 if you are a few feets away SOS does not do any damage. In GOWJ, I have died because of SOS firing at a 10s of feet away. For some reason it still does a little damage at long range. This has happened to me in domination game type. Also, there is no locus against cog. Its cog vs cog. I hate it. Survival: Nice game mode. Similar to horde expect that cog is defending some strategic points on the map. I would give judgement a 10/10 if it would come to my xbox as a dlc for GOW 3. As a standalone game selling at 60 bucks, it won't get better than 7.…Expand

The Gears of War series has long been acclaimed for it's gritty, brutal combat and tactical gameplay. While Judgement lacks the emotional story of its predecessors, it's still a worthy addition to the series.

Judgement takes place weeks after Emergence Day, where Lt. Baird is standing trial for disobeying orders. The levels alternate from the point of view of each member of the diverseThe Gears of War series has long been acclaimed for it's gritty, brutal combat and tactical gameplay. While Judgement lacks the emotional story of its predecessors, it's still a worthy addition to the series.

Judgement takes place weeks after Emergence Day, where Lt. Baird is standing trial for disobeying orders. The levels alternate from the point of view of each member of the diverse cast. Returner Cole Train and Baird are joined by newcomers Padduk and Hendrick's. None of the characters add a interesting element to the squad, and Padduks COG-popshots are the only interesting part of in-game dialogue. The main story itself isn't particularly unique or exciting. It doesn't develop well, and Colonel Loomis, while he makes an interesting antagonist, doesn't add a lot to the plot. You see the game's ending hours ahead of time, and never takes an emotional turn like the previous games were so well known for. This isn't to say the campaign isn't enjoyable. The arcade-like scoring sections of the missions, as well as the difficulty multipliers add a new and refreshing element to the otherwise unchanged combat. People Can Fly has done an excellent job making Sera feel new, despite this being the 4th visit to the planet. The Aftermath campaign is set after the events of Gears of War 3. And for all the attention this add on has been getting prior to the release, it doesn't feel like an extension of the previous game's story, but rather an extension of Judgement's. The focus is not on Cole and Baird, as it tries to be, but rather on Padduk, and Sophia's mysterious fate. Seeing a side of the COG not shown in the previous game's is interesting, but Aftermath is short and feels unfinished, and not nearly as graphically impressive as the main campaign. And upon completion you don't really feel like you've accomplished much.

The multiplayer component of the game feels unfinished as well. The damage of the weapons is much more balanced than in previous games, and the new camos and customization options make for an interesting add-on, but the lack of staple modes that Horde and Warzone leave much to be desired. Overrun is a welcome and fantastic competitive mode, but survival feels out-of-place, given the absence of Horde mode. In addition, the lack of series character models like Dizzy, Carmine, Dom, and others will make some feel that the additional multplayer skins are pointless.

Judgement isn't a bad game, far from it. The graphics are stellar, and the sound design is fantastic. Movement has been much improved, and the new control scheme is fast and spreads out well on the 360 gamepad. People Can Fly has done a great job making Gears feel fresh. However, Judgement suffers most from a rushed release. Something that isn't too surprising as many companies are trying to beat the next-gen hype and not have their products lost in the storm. Nothing in the game is less than good, but that's all it is. Judgement never goes beyond the imaginary line that separates good shooters from the great ones. And it's a shame to see a game that had so much potential fall short of greatness.…Expand

As a long time Gears fan i am going to try my best to give a honest review of the latest installment.
Having just finished the Campaign and played quite a tad of multiplayer, i can say this Gears is just meh? While the campaign adds a nice new element of challenge with the "declassified sections" the story element behind it just feels really bland. It thought in the campaign Gears fansAs a long time Gears fan i am going to try my best to give a honest review of the latest installment.
Having just finished the Campaign and played quite a tad of multiplayer, i can say this Gears is just meh? While the campaign adds a nice new element of challenge with the "declassified sections" the story element behind it just feels really bland. It thought in the campaign Gears fans was going to get a look at how Baird and the squad grew and a bit of back story. Alas there was hardly any back story. I kind of felt disappointment again by the boss in the game, i distinctly remember the developers saying that Kaan was stalking you throughout the campaign and tracking your movements to stop you, but this was only seen in the last act! However, the campaign is still fun and a great laugh with your friends.
The multiplayer on the other hand is what makes the game feel the real confusion, you either love it or hate it. The standard game types, Domination, Free For All and Team Deathmatch have been created souly to fight around Judgements fast paced play style. Now players can instantly re spawn when killed and only have the choice of one weapon to go in with. The addition of allowing players to spawn with a grenade is decent as well. It adds a unique twist on some game types, but let me tell you Free For All with always be a Gnasher hell! Especially now with the addition of having a main gun with the shield. The multplayer aspect of the game is just confusing but still great fun.
Overrun however is defiantly where the game shines. Puts players into two teams (Locust and COG) and one trying to defend a area while the opposite attack. It's one of the strongest elements of the game, as even if a team is all snipers, the clear winner will be the Locust as playing as a team is essential to this game type. It's really sad to see Horde gone and replaced with Survival. Survival is pretty much Overun, only you play as the COG and the locust are bots and really difficult to fight. It defiantly adds challenge to the game again, but i see it as a game type with friends only. One of the most frustrating parts of the game is the amour skins, the weapon skins are all pretty decent, if you like it buy it. However the amour skins really are pretty bland and boring, especially ones like Cascade and Digital which just look god awful and are £3.50 each! But I'm sure majority of the favorite skins are available through prize boxes, which are won by getting kills, ribbons or leveling up.
Overall, Gears Of War Judgement is a pretty decent game, it's a fun multiplayer experience for Overun and the Campaign is challenging. However lack of story and horde just make this Gears not so great.…Expand

This is most definitely, the weakest of all of the Gears of Wars series. To be fair, I am a HUGE Gears of War fan, I have bought all of the games, and love the IP, but you can tell right away that this game is lacking any of that spark that the original Gears of War trilogy had. Pros: Its still Gears, it looks like Gears, and for the most part it feels like Gears. All the Gears weapons areThis is most definitely, the weakest of all of the Gears of Wars series. To be fair, I am a HUGE Gears of War fan, I have bought all of the games, and love the IP, but you can tell right away that this game is lacking any of that spark that the original Gears of War trilogy had. Pros: Its still Gears, it looks like Gears, and for the most part it feels like Gears. All the Gears weapons are there still, the Lancer, the Retro Lancer, theres the Gnasher and the Shotgun everyone loves to hate, The Sawed-Off. The gameplay is pretty much the same, your a muscle bound dude killing hordes and hordes of Boomers and Kantus, and thats all good and fun but thats pretty much where the game ends for the funside. Cons: Where do I start? Lets start with the characters. These are dead and soulless. Baird is supposed to be the engimatic hero of this story, but you wouldn't be able to tell if you played it. There is NOTHING about Baird that resembles the Baird from the main trilogy. He isn't funny, he isnt sarcastic, he doesn't seem to even be competent in his station as the leader. Cole Train, easily a fan favorite. What HAPPENED TO YOU!? Once again, no personality. There isn't no "WOOOO" or "GO TIME BABY!" amid the game. This goes for pretty much all the characters, they all play the sort of flat bland character, and it shows in the writing. Speaking of the writing, the story is pretty lack luster, theres no character devlopment, the story isn't personally or for that matter epic. Lets get away from the campaign and look at another fan favorite, Horde Mode. Its been replaced by a similer mode called Survival. Its much like horde mode in the way that you fight off wave after wave of monsters, but in this mode your constantly protecting some object, like a generator, or a cover to a emergence hole, or something of that nature. This could be fun, but what they have done is created tight roles that you cannot deviate from. Theres a Healer, a Engineer, a Scout and etc. You have set Weapons, and set Nades, and thats it. No switching out, you need ammo? You need someone to drop a Ammo crate. No one can do that? Your screwed. So pretty much you need one of everyone, and instead of creating a play style you want, you have to conform to pretty much a standard team who each has a job. :/

Overall, its not the best of games. Gears fans will find it entertaining, and at times frustrating. I know their decision to knock down your ability to hold 3 weapons, two main and one handgun, now down to 2 weapons, HIGHLY infuriating. But if your not a big Gears fan don't bother, check out a earlier Gears game, or go play GoW 3. The best part of this game is the Free copy of GoW1 that came with it. 6/10…Expand

First, I played all Gears since the first one, multiplayer matches and completed campaign multiples times.

This one fell very "meh" to me. I would not recommend it for long time Gears fans.
Theses are the reasons why I gave it a 6.
Negative:
1 -Changes of controls (Seriously!?, you can't change gears controls!!!).
2 -Only 2 weapons at a time (They removed pistols. What?!).
3First, I played all Gears since the first one, multiplayer matches and completed campaign multiples times.

This one fell very "meh" to me. I would not recommend it for long time Gears fans.

Theses are the reasons why I gave it a 6.

Negative:
1 -Changes of controls (Seriously!?, you can't change gears controls!!!).
2 -Only 2 weapons at a time (They removed pistols. What?!).
3 -Campaign feel like a bunch of "challenges missions" separated by boring splash screens.
4 -Multiplayer does not fell like gears anymore. (Where are the locusts, teams death match became humans vs humans?!...).
5 -Graphics are weaker than previous titles. (Mostly lighting).
6 -Class system for multiplayer does not make sense.

Positive:
1 +Story has some good ideas but badly executed.
2 +Overun mode is pretty fun.

Overall, pretty disappointed. It reminds me when I stopped caring about Call of duty...…Expand

Bad boy, Epic! Fan of Gears of War. Judgement SP is ok & short but MP is not good. I bought half a game, only 4 maps, NO HORDE! So please, don't throw in more different types of weapons in your MP, yes? I don't want a run & gun in my Gears! Back to basics, everybody loved GoW1, so use that engine in a Classic MP Mode, yes! Don't overcomplicate things in Horde, yes! Keep it simple, yes!

Four bland and short multiplayer maps, the removal of Horde mode which Gears *made* popular in the industry, a complete control scheme change for more arcade like ("Call of Duty"-esque) gameplay, a forgettable linear story with characters who are subdued, removal of key unique game modes and mechanics (e.g. DBNO, active reloads, executions), and extremely shady DLC practices out of theFour bland and short multiplayer maps, the removal of Horde mode which Gears *made* popular in the industry, a complete control scheme change for more arcade like ("Call of Duty"-esque) gameplay, a forgettable linear story with characters who are subdued, removal of key unique game modes and mechanics (e.g. DBNO, active reloads, executions), and extremely shady DLC practices out of the gate. Frankly, Gears: Judgement is the culmination of the loss of several key Epic developers (CliffyB, Rod Ferguson), the loss of People Can Fly's original founder and creative designer after their acquisition by Epic, and Microsoft pushing to keep their limited number of "exclusive" franchises relevant. The lowest point in the series and it removes nearly all the elements that differentiated Gears from every other bombastic shooter. Rent, don't buy.…Expand

BAD: Gears of War: Judgement has been a huge letdown thus far. As soon as I first perused the multi-player I immediately felt that I had been scammed into buying a quick cash grab. The changes that were made in Gears of War 3, such as the nerfed melee, so that obnoxious two-piecing was a thing of the past, and the Team Deathmatch addition where once one team is within five deaths of losingBAD: Gears of War: Judgement has been a huge letdown thus far. As soon as I first perused the multi-player I immediately felt that I had been scammed into buying a quick cash grab. The changes that were made in Gears of War 3, such as the nerfed melee, so that obnoxious two-piecing was a thing of the past, and the Team Deathmatch addition where once one team is within five deaths of losing each team member only gets that one life which led to amazing clutch 1v5 scenarios and such, have been discarded. This makes Gears: Judgment a less intense, less fun, and all around cheap experience comparatively to its predecessor. One of my biggest gripes is the game shipped with only FOUR maps for tdm, ffa, domination, and another four exclusively for the new Overrun mode. On April 2nd there is supposedly a free map pack with 2 new maps but even then only SIX maps before having to pay for more is disgusting. Oh and they removed nearly all of the fan-favorite game modes such as Gaurdian, Horde Mode, Wingman. Gears of War: Judgment is such a leap backwards from the amazing Gears 1-3 and the first game i've bought where it was so instantly apparent that it was not worth the $60 price tag plus the $20 season pass i bought before playing once. At the state it is at right now it Judgment should have be nothing more than a $15-20 dlc on Gears of War 3. Good: Despite Judgment being the worst value in the Gears franchise it is still a Gears game which i will play regardless because I'm a big fan. The new addition of a "free for all" mode is great and my favorite game mode currently. Overrun(PvP) and Survival(PvC) mode have been fun and are great additions (but are not worthy of replacing Horde Mode, which they have). The new weapons are great and I cant complain about any balance issues. The campaign scoring system is good and makes me want to go back and improve how many "stars" i can get and the "declassified objectives" you encounter on the campaign missions add some variety. All in all i'm super bummed but its still fun, just not nearly what it could/should have been and is not what the fans deserve after the standard set by the previous Gears games. Gears of War: Judgment is best described by a quote i saw on a forum recently. "[Judgment] is the Halo 3: ODST of the Gears of War franchise."-???…Expand

A solid/fun experience. The campaign is entertaining but shallow, placing you in short gunfights and presenting you with a score afterwords. There is a narrative being told in-between the battles, and I like the idea of what Epic is doing here, but the story too comes off lacking any real depth. The controls have been improved, updated if you will, and it makes the MP all the more exciting.

well i love gears and have done for years first one was amazing second and thrid were good as well. But this game feels like it drained all the fun out of gears especially online it is easily the weakest one of the series. maps online feel shrunk and games seem to no longer be fun. The game is in no means bad but what gears has achived in the passed makes this game abismal bigggggggwell i love gears and have done for years first one was amazing second and thrid were good as well. But this game feels like it drained all the fun out of gears especially online it is easily the weakest one of the series. maps online feel shrunk and games seem to no longer be fun. The game is in no means bad but what gears has achived in the passed makes this game abismal biggggggg disapointment if you enjoyed the other gears. RIP Gears if war…Expand

It reminds me of "when critics and gamers disagree" situation. This is the weakest Gears game, played them all. It should be dlc instead of full price game. It looks like People Can Fly got clear instruction: create few missions, do not screw up original game mechanics. It sooo the same, campaign is boooring and story is completely flat. Then you have extra campaign mission. I thought:It reminds me of "when critics and gamers disagree" situation. This is the weakest Gears game, played them all. It should be dlc instead of full price game. It looks like People Can Fly got clear instruction: create few missions, do not screw up original game mechanics. It sooo the same, campaign is boooring and story is completely flat. Then you have extra campaign mission. I thought: "yes, it could not be that bad, here is where Gears begins, its dark and feels like Gears" but then it finishes right away. Narration type is of the worst possible kind, retrospection. This means nothing bad will happen to the one who is speaking, and all squad is speaking. 3 minutes short levels do not help either. On the contrary it is very bad idea, becouse all atmosphere is immediately lost. Minor changes to multi and few new maps is much too less to grade this game as high as metacritic average. Weak and boring to me.…Expand

I went into this game with average expectations based on some of the reviews, but what i found on the multiplayer side of things was worse than I thought. First off let me state that I am a huge Gears fan, it is probably my favorite franchise this gen. When I hopped online in Judgment it didnt even feel like I was playing Gears of War. The removal of DBNO, no locust, only one main weapon,I went into this game with average expectations based on some of the reviews, but what i found on the multiplayer side of things was worse than I thought. First off let me state that I am a huge Gears fan, it is probably my favorite franchise this gen. When I hopped online in Judgment it didnt even feel like I was playing Gears of War. The removal of DBNO, no locust, only one main weapon, starting out with grenades, and all these juvenile armor skins just made me dislike this game. The multiplayer feels nothing like traditional Gears and maybe that is because they took out everything that made it unique in the first place. I have played around 40 or so matches and I havent had that much fun at all. The online right now is littered with people camping with the Markza because of the newly designed verticality, the Gnasher is very weak, and the aiming in general feels off compared to Gears 3. Also the maps in my opinion are bad. The non-symmetrical layout doesn't play well and I miss the symmetrical layouts all prior Gears games had. One other major problem I have is without locust you cannot tell if the person behind you is a teammate or an enemy. I cannot count how many times baird is yelling behind me and i think it is a teammate only to find out it wasn't and I get retro stabbed. It is too confusing at times having all these cog run around. Also ONLY 4 MAPS! How can you possibly only have 4 maps at launch and think your hardcore fans would be okay with that, its ridiculous. Also the lack of characters is inexcusable as well, and most of the gun camos you have to purchase. I personally hate all the gun and skin camos, i think they make a game feel to arcadey and childish. Overrun though, is a great addition. I have had quite a bit of fun with my friends on this but it might get stale after awhile because it only has 4 maps as well. The campaign isnt great but it isnt bad. It has some cool new additions like declassified missions but these also can ruin the flow of the narrative a little bit. Overall the campaign is solid but lacks on the story side of things, but it will keep you entertained for the 6-8 hours it takes you. Also the additional aftermath campaign is a nice addition. Overall I just feel they dropped the ball on this game. It is by no means unplayable, but in the Gears universe i feel like it strayed too far from what made it unique. It loses some of that appeal for me and I just hope they mae another Gears for next gen that will feel more like prior Gears games.…Expand

I bought a 360 for Gears of War I way back when, and have always been a huge fan (despite the horrible multiplayer in II), but was skeptical of this one. The story is decent enough for a Gears game and the gunplay is pretty much unchanged, other than the ommison of the gun wheel and ability to carry two primary weapons with a pistol, which is a questionable choice. The campaign'sI bought a 360 for Gears of War I way back when, and have always been a huge fan (despite the horrible multiplayer in II), but was skeptical of this one. The story is decent enough for a Gears game and the gunplay is pretty much unchanged, other than the ommison of the gun wheel and ability to carry two primary weapons with a pistol, which is a questionable choice. The campaign's declassify missions are fun and a nice addition, but the length makes it out to be a more of a glorified DLC than a stand alone title. The multiplayer sadly has none of what made Gears great. Gone is Horde, replaced by the pedestrian Survival and Overrun modes, and the ability to execute opponents. The abscence of the wheel is felt more online where you start only with one gun and a pistol and your choice of grenade. Personally, this game feels more like a strange generic hybrid trying to be Gears of War.…Expand

Now here's a game I will not buy anymore. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the series as a game. But there comes a point one has to protect itself from all this microtransactions 60 Euro to buy the game. Hey want some extra skins that you used to unlock by playing the game. That's another 4000 Msp. And don't forget the season pass of course. Sure you don't have to buy it. AndNow here's a game I will not buy anymore. Don't get me wrong I have nothing against the series as a game. But there comes a point one has to protect itself from all this microtransactions 60 Euro to buy the game. Hey want some extra skins that you used to unlock by playing the game. That's another 4000 Msp. And don't forget the season pass of course. Sure you don't have to buy it. And that's what I'm gonna do from now on. I simply don't buy any game anymore with this kind of sales-strategy. I'm done with it. 60 Euro's is enough to pay for a game. Not 130 Euro's or something.…Expand

Same old Gears of War, in fact that is not so bad, because you know the basis of the game are enternaining, but is like to play same old Gears games only whit minor graphics improvement the story feels like its only there to have an excuse to make another game in this trilogy, there is not a single emotional moment like in previous instalments. Being a fan since the first Gears am aSame old Gears of War, in fact that is not so bad, because you know the basis of the game are enternaining, but is like to play same old Gears games only whit minor graphics improvement the story feels like its only there to have an excuse to make another game in this trilogy, there is not a single emotional moment like in previous instalments. Being a fan since the first Gears am a little disapointed whit this game..... if u ask me, Judgment is to Gears the same thing that ODST was to Halo, a sad, sad try to squeeze money from our pockets just offering a poor and mediocre game. Shame on you Epic games..... (T_T)…Expand

(Single Player/Co-Op Campaign review only) Very disappointing. All the gruff manly charm has been completely sucked out of this iteration of Gears. Say goodbye to the epic set piece battles of GOW 3 in place for monotonous corridor shooting and score tracking. The core mechanics play exactly the same with a boring suspense-less plot and small bite sized missions with no investment or(Single Player/Co-Op Campaign review only) Very disappointing. All the gruff manly charm has been completely sucked out of this iteration of Gears. Say goodbye to the epic set piece battles of GOW 3 in place for monotonous corridor shooting and score tracking. The core mechanics play exactly the same with a boring suspense-less plot and small bite sized missions with no investment or memorable events. Friendly banter between characters has been replaced with tired, overused dialogue from every action game ever. Even worse, every round ends with a score sheet. Why? Why turn Gears into an arcade shooter? Why break up the action every 3-5 minutes for a grading that is completely pointless to the overall story? One good thing I suppose is the new weapons that do handle well and fill in gaps to round out the already expansive existing arsenal. Still, undoubtedly the low point of the series, dumbfounded as to why reviewers are giving it such a glowing reception.…Expand

This is not gears 1 2 or 3, it is a completely different game and is really fun. The story mode is more geared toward an arcade feel and the declassified missions are fun. While short, story mode has a decent amount of replayability. Multiplayer is a totally new creature, turning from the cqc shotgun battles of old and focusing on a more ranged approach. That said, the gnasher is a beastThis is not gears 1 2 or 3, it is a completely different game and is really fun. The story mode is more geared toward an arcade feel and the declassified missions are fun. While short, story mode has a decent amount of replayability. Multiplayer is a totally new creature, turning from the cqc shotgun battles of old and focusing on a more ranged approach. That said, the gnasher is a beast and many players will choose to make that their primary gun. The stuff that kind of makes you scratch your head: no down but not out, no active reload, and no locust in multiplayer. These to me are just bad calls by Microsoft Game Studios and People Can Fly. I get what they were trying to be original, but removing things that make a series unique and replacing them with nothing does not make for a more unique feeling game. All in all a decent game that is a ton of fun but will never have the die hard competitors and fan base of the first three. Hardcore fans, don't forget we still have the original three and gears 3 is still a fairly young game …Expand

When it comes to prequels, my expectations are lowered as I know I'm buying an inferior product compared to games like Gears 2 & 3 and this rains true with judgment. There is no sense of camaraderie with your squad, character like Colonel Loomis, Sofia and Paduk are underdeveloped and you don't really care about them, many of the declassified missions are recycled throughout the campaignWhen it comes to prequels, my expectations are lowered as I know I'm buying an inferior product compared to games like Gears 2 & 3 and this rains true with judgment. There is no sense of camaraderie with your squad, character like Colonel Loomis, Sofia and Paduk are underdeveloped and you don't really care about them, many of the declassified missions are recycled throughout the campaign making it a chore rather than having fun and the final boss fight is anti-climatic and lacks a sense of challenge. It's like the voice actors from the original gears games decide to spend an afternoon with People Can Fly to do some recording and that's it. It's just odd seeing less smart ass remarks from Baird and Coletrain being awfully quiet through most of the 5-6hr campaign. The whole Cog vs Cog alienates fans of gears as the only opportunity to play as the locust is in the games overrun mode and the fact that most of the game's unlocks are microtransactions is a big disappointment. I can see some buying this as a $20-$30 purchase but not full price. It doesn't feel like Gears and it's title is just slapped on the cover just to make a quick buck.…Expand

I'm a fan of GoW from the start personal favorite is 3. I was very excited for this game since GoW titles are yearly and usually well made. While the game I can tell was well made and they've taken risk's which is appreciated. The Campaign is brilliant and the 10 wave horde redux is great now I can actually play and finish (if I win) However the positives end there. MP the once greatestI'm a fan of GoW from the start personal favorite is 3. I was very excited for this game since GoW titles are yearly and usually well made. While the game I can tell was well made and they've taken risk's which is appreciated. The Campaign is brilliant and the 10 wave horde redux is great now I can actually play and finish (if I win) However the positives end there. MP the once greatest part of the game is now something I personally Loathe! It feels like epic took things from CoD (1 weapon to start) BF3/TF2 (stim grenades/classes). This might work for some but for me this is a negative I can't name how many times I tried switching my gun with the dpad yes i'll adjust eventually, or how many times ive been annoyed by the LB grenade toss from other players or the health regen. I'll end by saying this for I wanted the last gow on 360 to be great its medicore and is probably the nail in the coffin for me in and my xbox 360 which I was already consider trading in, I've kept it for GoWJ. I don't see myself keep either much longer maybe a month more and putting credit towards PS4 or maybe a few PS3 titles. This game is the official killer of my gamertag.…Expand

I's quite obvious that the Gears series has taken a turn with the latest installment. The new changes may not appeal to the hardcore Gears fans but Epic and People Can Fly took a new approach to avoid the same old same old that gamers constantly hate. DBNO being removed does take away from the nostalgia value of Gears but in non execution modes (which were most played in Gears 3), DBNOI's quite obvious that the Gears series has taken a turn with the latest installment. The new changes may not appeal to the hardcore Gears fans but Epic and People Can Fly took a new approach to avoid the same old same old that gamers constantly hate. DBNO being removed does take away from the nostalgia value of Gears but in non execution modes (which were most played in Gears 3), DBNO barely had any effect to true gameplay. No locust in competitive multiplayer is another change that I see fanboys often complain about. This is also another change that really has no effect on actual gameplay. This is actually improved in Judgement with the ability to customize your character with skins. The thing many will miss about Gears is the lack of shotgun against shotgun battles that Gears is known for. Only spawning with one weapon, even though having the choice helps, really changes multiplayer. It's no longer as much about closing distance with stealth and strategy but more about taking people out in the open from range. The shotgun is still a viable option in Judgement but is not the only option which adds some positives and negatives. The story of Single player is a decent one for a prequel. You get a story that you never really needed in gears but is fun due to the Baird and Cole conversations. Overall, Gears of War Judgement is a good game. It's not quite on the level of previous installments but still a quality game with fun multiplayer and a decent campaign. Just don't expect it to be another same Gears game. They had to make the change for the better of their company, even if it's not quite the game…Expand

In this review, I will be reviewing the Multiplayer side of this game only. Now, lets get down to business. We all know about the new additions to MP, such as Overrun and Free For All. I have to say, Overrun is very fun and addicting. However, I do think that Horde should have been thrown in as well. Survival Mode, which is supposed to be the sort-of equivalent of Horde, does not live upIn this review, I will be reviewing the Multiplayer side of this game only. Now, lets get down to business. We all know about the new additions to MP, such as Overrun and Free For All. I have to say, Overrun is very fun and addicting. However, I do think that Horde should have been thrown in as well. Survival Mode, which is supposed to be the sort-of equivalent of Horde, does not live up to Horde. Everyone enjoyed hopping online with their friends and going until 4 in the morning trying to reach level 50. Why screw around with that? That being said, Overrun does help make up for Horde's absence. The mechanics of Overrun are simple and fun. Moving on to the versus aspect of MP, I must get this out of the way: 4 maps is NOT ENOUGH. While I realize that Overrun has two maps to itself, 4 is not even close to enough for MP. Gears 3 had 10 maps, and that was the perfect number. Why was the number scaled back? Surely it couldn't have been for a lack of room. While this doesn't bore me right now, I can see myself getting very tired of these maps in the weeks to come. The problem is is that there just isn't enough. A couple of other things that annoy me: the removal of Down But Not Out and the revival aspect, the inability to carry a shotgun and a lancer, the new "spotter" grenades, and the Cog on Cog action makes it tough at time to single out your enemies. Now, all of that being said, Gears of War Judgment does get a lot of things right. The map design is, as always, magnificent. The maps are now layered and vertical. I think they are the perfect size. Furthermore, the addition of the moving set pieces on the maps adds an interesting layer that was absent in previous Gears maps. Also, I prefer the new respawn sytsem. There's nothing more boring than sitting at a respawn screen waiting to get back in. I came to play the game, not sit and wait. The ability to carry a grenade on your person is a welcome addition but seeing as it replaces your shotgun secondary it peeves me. Some things are tried and true in video games. Why did they feel the need to screw around with that. The action is fast paced and the graphics are pretty amazing. I think this is the current generation of console being stretched to its limits. Wrapping up, I feel that Gears of War Judgment could have very well been a great game. However, its shortcomings really do hold it back. The 4 maps thing seems like a ploy to get more people to buy their Season Pass, which REALLY irks me. For that, I give Judgment a "Good" 7 out of 10.…Expand

Have played all Gears games since 1. This is by far (as the campaign goes) the least interesting of the series. Overrun is probably the best thing about Judgement. GOW 3 best in the series in my opinion and again, I will probably log more hours in its multiplayer than Judgement. Not to sure where the ball was dropped. Maybe the addition of People Can Fly.... I even thought the graphicsHave played all Gears games since 1. This is by far (as the campaign goes) the least interesting of the series. Overrun is probably the best thing about Judgement. GOW 3 best in the series in my opinion and again, I will probably log more hours in its multiplayer than Judgement. Not to sure where the ball was dropped. Maybe the addition of People Can Fly.... I even thought the graphics were worse than 3. I regret purchasing this game so early... Not worth an immediate purchase like 3 or the others. But regardless a Gears fan will see some excitement from the game. Definitely not the best, but an ok game.…Expand

The only person i recommend this game to is Call of Duty enthusiasts. It's taken what made Gears a standout shooter, in a market that's been flooded by shooters already, and pushed it into the mold of any fly by night shooter out there. Starting with the campaign, i actually enjoyed it quite much. That's only because I'm a hardcore Gears fan and smile every time a reference is made or aThe only person i recommend this game to is Call of Duty enthusiasts. It's taken what made Gears a standout shooter, in a market that's been flooded by shooters already, and pushed it into the mold of any fly by night shooter out there. Starting with the campaign, i actually enjoyed it quite much. That's only because I'm a hardcore Gears fan and smile every time a reference is made or a old characters voice came over the radio. Other than that, it's just a linear succession of rooms where you pop out and shoot whatever is attacking and move up. This game play is entertaining if only because of the "Declassified" sections of the game. These area's allow you to beef up the difficult for extra points toward your star rank by hindering circumstances like decreasing visibility, restricting you to only a certain weapon or clearing the level in a set amount of time. If offers a slight tweak that allows for some changes in game play that keep it fresh enough not to bore you into submission. Multiplayer, on the other hand, is atrocious to say the lest. The originality that made Gears a staple in online shooters is completely shot in the foot as soon as you get into a match. With an embarrassing amount of playable characters (8), maps (4), and game modes (4), this installment is hardly a Gears of War game. With game modes like Free-For-All, Domination and Team Deathmatch, Judgement could be mistaken for a 3rd Person Call of Duty. The similarities don't end there, unfortunately. With a new control scheme, weapons are no longer accessed via the DPad but instead, you switch weapons with the Y button. Also, grenades are now mapped to their own button, the LB button. While this does speed up the game play by allowing you to switch weapons while roadie running or to quick toss a grenade, it takes all originally away from the game, leaving it, again, looking like a Call of Duty clone. When the first Gears game was released, players were introduced to modes like Annex, Warzone, Execution and Guardian, something they've never experienced before. And when game modes were introduced, like Capture the Leader or Team Deathmatch (GoW3), they had their own Gears spin on things, making it fresh to play. This game feels old as hell and done 100 times over. And to top it all off, it just feels like one of those $40 games like Halo 3: ODST, that are simply fan games to hold you off until Gears 4 comes out. I'm a hardcore Gears fan, i've got all of the books, games, and even a Marcus statue, but there is no amount of fan-dom that can hold this game back from being just a shame to the series in general. Don't waste your money.…Expand

I'd be lying if I said GoW Judgement was a bad game, but i'd also be lying if I said it's better than its predecessors- because it isn't. Has Gears of War finally turned its last rotation? The game is the standard you-know-and-love 3rd person visceral shooter that does and offers things right that other shooters can't. The story is beautiful and made me like Baird a little more (But hesI'd be lying if I said GoW Judgement was a bad game, but i'd also be lying if I said it's better than its predecessors- because it isn't. Has Gears of War finally turned its last rotation? The game is the standard you-know-and-love 3rd person visceral shooter that does and offers things right that other shooters can't. The story is beautiful and made me like Baird a little more (But hes still an egotistical A-hole,) the game play is fluid, and two (I think) new modes put into multiplayer that I think are a breath of fresh air, but I do see it getting boring sometime soon.

...But what else? That's pretty much it. Other than that, it offers nothing more than the standard a la carte which is pretty disappointing considering the fact that I am a GoW fan. Instead, they opted to take out two things that really got me into GoW in the first place: DBNO, and Locusts. DBNO was so unique in this type of game that other game could not simply do. In the first place, your not supposed to die or get shot, but DBNO gave you that unique fear of getting humiliated- that part is just gone now. Now it just feels like an arcade shoot-em-up with visceral features in it. Another is Locusts- they are gone in multiplayer...soo yeah, kinda sad. Overall, I wouldn't say its a bad game, but its not the best either. They did put thought into balancing which I feel is fine right now, (Save for the sawed off- I still hate that thing) and I think they did a good job. I wouldn't recommend it to any casual shooter- they may end up disappointed, so only hardcore gears need apply.…Expand

The weakest of the series, i personally hate the more arcade feel of the game. Nothing in this game stand out. In my opinion if you are a fan maybe a buy if you are not a fan just turn around and go play Tomb raider!!

When you take a franchise like Gears and you make a worse game than your original (Bulletstorm), then you know it's bound to receive worse ratings than it would.

Gears: Judgment is pretty similar to the other GoW, God of War: Ascension. Both prequels, both with kind of a spin-off story, holding up to their predecessors technically and not doing a damn thing to improve that aspect andWhen you take a franchise like Gears and you make a worse game than your original (Bulletstorm), then you know it's bound to receive worse ratings than it would.

Gears: Judgment is pretty similar to the other GoW, God of War: Ascension. Both prequels, both with kind of a spin-off story, holding up to their predecessors technically and not doing a damn thing to improve that aspect and both as enjoyable as the franchise standard offer. Besides that a couple of cool ideas/weapons/enemies and that's it.

Prequel loss for ideas
Nonetheless, the story and storytelling to be exact isnt that bad. The idea of the aftermath might have been for a dlc, but all in all it's not bad at all. What's bad is that the campaign has become a non-explorative level/battle to level/battle. And all of this arcade style. I wouldn't mind if they did that on another mode, trying to simplify the levels to match an arcade feeling, but the campaign is hollow now. It's worse than the excellent Gears 3, but stil a quite enjoyable shooter (that lasts only half of the other Gears games durations).

Play Gears 3 again or some other excellent shooter unless you are a hardcore-wannadieforGears fan. Even then, Marcus isn't home...…Collapse

Judgment shows that the People Can Fly team knows its way around triple-A titles. They managed to squeeze a lot out of Unreal Engine 3 – the game looks great even compared to Crysis 3, which set new standards in terms of visuals, also on consoles. And when the technology restrained them, they creatively found a way around limitations. [CD-Action 05/2013, p.60]